Author Archives: jennifer

Wandering around cyberspace and enjoying the adventure!

NaBloPoMo #15 – Tamale Pricing Brings Inflation Realization

Image by Stephan Maloman

Today my sister received a rude awakening as to the true cost of inflation.

Here in our region of the world, Texas, you can find a dozen tamales for around $5-6. That’s a pretty typical price range. My sister had pre-ordered 3 dozen tamales from an acquaintance last week. When she went to go pick them up today she was stunned to discover that the $20 she had with her would not cover the price of her 3 dozen tamales. Nope she was short $10.

Turns out that tamales now cost $10/dozen. Or at least they did today. The reasoning for the steep price? The cost of the meat had gone up considerably hence the price increase. The reason the meat had gone up was because the cost of the grain the cow eats had gone up and so had the gas used to transport it to market.

Now here in San Antonio there is an area of town where Tamale Factories are lined up and down the street. Great selection and competition keeps the price in the $4.50-5.50 range. Or at least that was the cost earlier this year. Now after hearing my sisters tale of inflation, I wonder if we will see a similar jump in cost per dozen.

I have the urge to go down Tamale Road to check prices in anticipation of the upcoming holidays. Maybe I’ll test out a tamale or two to make sure the quality hasn’t changed even if the price has.

NaBloPoMo Day 14 – Knowledge Seeker

As a kid I was always a curious gal. I wanted to know why things were the way they were. I tore through books at breakneck speed soaking up they knowledge they contained. I wasn’t the brightest in the barrel, but I could definitely see daylight.
I was a pretty fast learner and enjoyed studying new things. I guess you could say I was a knowledge seeker. The library was my favorite place to visit. If I discovered something interesting, I would find out everything possible and either expand upon it or move on to another subject. To me learning was fun. Now testing? Oh that’s another story altogether.

Times haven’t changed that much since then. The big difference is that now I can immerse myself in a topic of my choice via the internet. However I haven’t given up on going to the library to complete my studies. On the contrary we consider ourselves regulars at a few of our local branches. We visit the library so much that sometimes I think our late fines could have paid for a new wing. Well…. at least a bookshelf or two.

NaBloPoMo Day 13 – Start

Sometimes I’ve got so many ideas for projects in my head that I wonder where  I should start. What should I do first? When would be the right time? Who can I get to help me? Where will I get the funding?

These questions roll around my head with no clear answer in sight. Time passes. I kick these ideas around and around. They pop into my head randomly. Reminding me that while I have this great idea for a project, I haven’t done anything to bring it into fruition.

But the timing isn’t right. The idea isn’t fully formed. The partners aren’t in place yet. The funding hasn’t been finalized. And…….I could go on and on and on.

There will always be stumbling blocks in front of any project. There will always be funding and timing issues. However if I never take that first step towards making my idea a reality it will never happen. No amount of thinking about it will cause it to materialize unless I start.

Start what?

Start putting it down on paper.

Start making those calls.

Start asking for partners.

Start asking for the funding.

Yeah, I know. It’s hard. The Starting.  What if I start and it doesn’t work out? What if I start and I’m not able to finish? What if I start and no one comes along to help me finish?

It is entirely possible you may start something and your project falls flat. Yep. It could happen. It is also entirely possible you may start your project and it may succeed.

How will you know whether your project will succeed or fail?

You won’t.

Unless you start.

NaBloPoMo Day 12 – Cooler Heads

We have all heard that old sage advice given to all newlyweds, “Never go to sleep angry”.

I think this applies to a lot of things. Like “Never Eat Angry… because you’ll get heartburn” or Never Drive Angry…because you’ll get into an accident” or even better “Never Send an Email Angry….because the person you sent it to will have proof you’re an idiot.”

I kid, but in some sense the “Never _____ Angry…” is sage advice in just about any situation. Like “Never Post a Blog or Podcast Angry…because after you cool down you’ll realize just how harsh you sounded” While your anger may very well be for a just and noble reason. It is always best to wait for a calmer moment to correctly phrase your response. The saying, “Cooler Heads Prevail” is so very true.

There have been times when I’ve been tempted to fire off a quick and angry response and have been so glad someone was there to be the cooler head. Then there are times I’m the cooler head for someone else. Whatever the case if you find yourself ready to fire off a blog post or podcast or email, take a deep breath and go find a cooler head to talk it over with. Better yet, be the cooler head the next time someone else needs one.

NaBloPoMo Day 11 – Day of Bliss

As you know I resolved earlier in the week to spend today in what I termed a “Day of Bliss”. Meaning I wasn’t going to do anything that wasn’t my passion. What today turned into was more of a “Day of Rest”. However doing so did make me happy.

There were household chores that could have been done. But since I resolved to not do those things today, I felt free from the need to do them. Don’t worry. All those chores will still be waiting for me tomorrow. The key was to only do things that I was either passionate about or that made me happy.

Over the last few months we’ve been in a whirlwind of activity with football season and as of last night the season is over. I think what we all needed most of all was rest. Real rest. Real quiet rest. Or at least that’s what I needed. I woke up early then went back to bed. Woke up later, had some delicious coffee and a donut or two. Wound up watching a movie I’d never heard of and did some light reading on the sofa. Took a peak at a couple of football games just to check on the scores and enjoyed the time spent resting. Everyone fared for themselves as far as meals go. All in all it was a great way to spend the day.

So while I may have thought I was going to spend my Day of Bliss working on some projects I’m passionate about. It turned out better that I took a Day of Rest which in essence worked its magic on me. Setting me up to be energized for those things for which I am passionate. More about those “Passion Projects” as things progress.